Monday, 11 February 2013

Introducing Professor Pooch....or the Day Bear Went to School

It's a pretty well-known fact amongst dog owners that the general population’s fear and mistrust of dogs is very
quickly climbing the ranks of common fears; and if we don't move to stop it, dogs will soon be as feared and disliked as snakes, spiders, rats and
germs.

It’s sad really; and
more than a little alarming.

In light of this building fear and dislike of dogs, Bear
and I decided to go straight to the source (sort of) and today, we spent the
day jumping from school to school and visiting classroom after classroom.It was an incredible and wonderful
experience, but it also raised some concerns.

Making friends

It was amazing, and more than a little alarming to see
how many children folded in on themselves in fear when Bear and I first walked
into their classrooms – some of the younger ones even started crying the second
they saw us, and it begs the question: “WHY ARE WE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN TO
FEAR AND EVENTUALLY HATE THESE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS?”

"Dog shy"? Not anymore =)

Thankfully, Bear is a wonderful, wonderful dog and he was
in fine form today.We waited until the
teachers invited us in, and then calmly joined the classroom’s circle.Once the children calmed down enough to
experience Bear’s calm and collected presence in their circle, all I had to do
was sit back and watch the magic happen.With Bear’s calm and unmovable presence by my side, we slowly started
teaching the children how to properly greet a dog – any dog – they may happen
to meet while outside walking or at the park.We talked about how to read some of the signs that a dog’s body might be
trying to communicate.With help from the
children themselves we practiced what to do if a dog scares us, or if we don't want a dog to come close and jump up.

Learning how to say "hello" to a dog

By the end of the half-hour session with Bear and I, I
can proudly say that everyone had fun – including some of the more reluctant
and fearful students.

Bear himself is a blessing as a teaching tool.His calm confidence was ultimately what prompted even
the most fearful of children to edge a little closer, especially when they saw
that their friends were getting to pet him, and hug him and even feed him some
little bits of kibble.

All in all it was a wonderful day.Bear came home and promptly fell asleep, and
I can rest easy knowing that for today, I managed to negate some of the fears
that our younger generations hold for dogs.

It is my firm belief that we can change the negative outlooks that the
general public has for larger dogs through education and demonstration.

Happy and tired and finally going home

Keep your tails wagging

Bear’s P4ws

Please note that the pictures have been purposely blurred to protect the identities of the children

2 comments:

That is exactly the perfect thing to do. When I was in Hong Kong, where most people are fearful of dogs. I went to a day camp full of kids to introduce myself and show the kids that they should not be fearful and how to treat dog. It was a great day.

You and Bear are an amazing couple. You know you probably changed the life of a few kids overthere, right. When they are grown up they can say: "I used to be afraid of dogs, until the day this lady walked into the classroom with her dog"... Many thumbs up to you for this great initiative! XO﻿

About Me

I am the proud pet-parent to the ever loving Bear. Bear is a Northern Mutt who just happened to fall into my lap one cold October day. He was tiny and badly injured and for a while, there was a great deal of uncertainty as to whether or not he would survive to the end of the month. But survive he did. Bear has brought a great deal of love and happiness into my life. He is a wonderful companion and the most loving friend.